Numbers don't paint Oliver's full picture for Penn women's soccer

In soccer, numbers never paint a full picture.

And if you look at the traditional statistics of Penn women’s soccer’s Laura Oliver, you may come away unimpressed.

Six games played. No assists. No goals. A single shot on goal.

Only by looking beyond the figures can you see a midfielder who has developed into one of the strongest, if at times unheralded, players during the Red and Blue’s unbeaten start.

“[When I was younger] my heart wasn’t in it,” Oliver said. “I didn’t really know the team, and as I’ve gotten to know the team better and gotten more comfortable that has helped with my play. I think I’ve become more independent and responsible.”

For the past three years, Oliver’s career has been that of a solid contributor lacking the full commitment to break into Quakers’ lineup. The California native has played in all but three games over the course of her college career, but until this season had only earned two starts.

“My freshman year I came in with a lot of back pain, I wasn’t taking care of myself physically,” Oliver said. “So this summer I did a lot of stretching and massage. I’ve always had nagging injuries and the nagging injuries have always been my excuse for not doing well.”

With her new attitude, Oliver has played her way into coach Darren Ambrose’s starting 11 in five of six games and although the coach continues to tinker with his lineup in anticipation of Friday’s Ivy season opener against Harvard, he is likely to slot Oliver into the triangle of central midfielders.

“I think she’s more committed,” coach Ambrose said. “I think her heart’s in it. She’s playing with a bit of passion, like it matters, and when she does she makes a difference on both sides of the ball.”

She isn’t quite like the other center midfielders. She’s not Katilyn Moore, whose physical presence and strength in the air provide a problem for opposing teams.
Nor is she like Lindsey Sawczuk, whose distribution is used to spring Penn’s forwards. Nor is she Erin Mikolai, whose clever movements help create space for others.

Oliver’s greatest ability is her dribbling and work rate, pouncing on an opponent’s poor touch with a vicious tackle, dribbling around defenders in tight spaces and starting a counterattack.

“She keeps an element of having that one player who can dribble through everyone, and her slide tackles are just crazy,” midfield partner Moore said.

“I’m most comfortable with the ball at my feet, taking people on and dishing it off last minute,” Oliver said. “That’s what I like to do. I’ve been a forward my whole life and I came here and I was put in the midfield.”

But while the skill has always been present, her changed attitude has pushed her to the next level. You won’t be able to tell by looking at a box score because soccer is not a game of numbers. It is a game that is colored by not only production, but also temperament, intelligence, movement and creativity.

And while she may not have the numbers, Oliver and her development are painting a new picture for the Quakers.

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